Josh Kerr breaks NCAA record 3:35.01!! @Clay Invite

I think most people forgot that Nick Willis ran 3:32.68 during his sophomore year summer in 2004 at the Rome Golden League, now part of the Diamond League.

1500m

1 Ramzi Rashid BRN 3:30.25

2 Lagat Bernard KEN 3:30.81

3 Baala Mehdi FRA 3:31.25

4 Songok Isaac Kiprono KEN 3:31.94

5 Silva Rui POR 3:32.13

6 Kipchirchir Alex KEN 3:32.35

7 East Michael GBR 3:32.37

8 El Guerrouj Hicham MAR 3:32.64

9 Willis Nicholas NZL 3:32.68

10 Yemmouni Mounir FRA 3:32.97

11 Liefers Gert-Jan NED 3:33.87

12 Sullivan Kevin CAN 3:34.43

13 Higuero Juan Carlos ESP 3:34.48

14 Shabunin Vyacheslav RUS 3:35.50

15 Selmouni Anis MAR 3:37.36

16 Korir Paul KEN 3:37.69

Hatungimana Arthémon BDI DNF

Kipkurui Benjamin KEN DNF

Lelei David KEN DNF

Obrist Christian ITA DNF

What? My college graduation ceremony was in May. June 6 is normal-late for a Spring semester graduation.

westsouthrunner wrote:

You're seeing only what you want to see. First you don't go and run 10ks every week like you could for the 1500. Also how many 1500s has Knight even tried to qualify for? He's always been a 5k 10k guy. You guys are looking for reasons to bash him. He had a good race he ran a 3 second pb and got beat by a 3 time ncaa champion at the same time.

Knight Placed 9th at the world championshios in the 5k not the 1500. That should tell you his focus right there.

Big Knight fan here

I consider Knight to be a 5000/10000 guy and not a 1500/5000 guy.

However, it is interesting that his 10000m PB is only 29:46. Maybe he just doesn’t know that he’s a 5000/10000 guy yet.

Srsly there are no vids of the race? Did no one record the race or anything?

Hopefully flotrack uploaded ASAP.

DYitcidticgo wrote:

westsouthrunner wrote:

You're seeing only what you want to see. First you don't go and run 10ks every week like you could for the 1500. Also how many 1500s has Knight even tried to qualify for? He's always been a 5k 10k guy. You guys are looking for reasons to bash him. He had a good race he ran a 3 second pb and got beat by a 3 time ncaa champion at the same time.

Knight Placed 9th at the world championshios in the 5k not the 1500. That should tell you his focus right there.

Big Knight fan here

I consider Knight to be a 5000/10000 guy and not a 1500/5000 guy.

However, it is interesting that his 10000m PB is only 29:46. Maybe he just doesn’t know that he’s a 5000/10000 guy yet.

He has run one track 10K, sophomore year (he never redshirted), at ACC champs in a tactical race. I assume it was prep for him to run 5K at Nationals.

If his focus is 5K, and he is a low mileage guy, and the program seems to try to keep the guys fresh for the end of the season- then you can figure out why he has run only one track 10k, and his PB is kind of irrelevant.

I agree with you (but what do I know) that his best will be 5-10 or even longer some day. His tweets emphasize the value he places on viewing himself as a competitor who doesn’t worry about the optimal distance- just have a competitive mindset. But whatever his best distances are likely to be, I am sure he and his coach know it better than any of us.

What a shock. Where's Azuza Junior College anyways? I know where Mt Sac Jr College is located. Mt Sac has the most storied T&F stadium in the world. Millions has run at the yearly relays of Mt Sac.

^

There's a clear reason that even with many great runners in the past the 1500m record isn't that fast by world standards:

NCAA runners cannot run the paced European circuit races with top world runners during the NCAA season. You could say that is also true of the 800m, but the 800m in the late NCAA season is almost always going to have a guy going out in 50-52, fast enough to run 1:44 or better, while no one person has an incentive to pace everyone at NCAA's in the 1500m, where everyone is peaked and it is usually hotter than ideal for distance running.

thenorth wrote:

I think most people forgot that Nick Willis ran 3:32.68 during his sophomore year summer in 2004 at the Rome Golden League, now part of the Diamond League.

I'm trying (and failing) to remember why, exactly, Willis ran the 5000m rather than the 1500m at the 2005 NCAA Champs in Sacramento. Maybe he just felt like it.

The Saturday evening of those champs was a fantastic session of track, packed with finals; the last year before they changed the schedule to suit live TV coverage.

The 1500m was a great race with freshman Manzano announcing himself by closing in 55 to win in 3:37.13.

Willis's 3:32 PB was certainly on the minds of the 5000m participants. The talk was "We have to get away from this guy." And that made the race, with Hall and Dobson tag-teaming the pace to go 1-2 in 13:22.

I can still see Willis storming the backstretch but it was too little too late as he finished third in 13:27.

Domanic ran 3:54 in Dublin, Ireland last summer to win a competitive race. Big time potential.

Domanic is American baby! The future of American middle distance.

Lagat didn't graduate that year. He went pro in the summer of 1999, and skipped his senior year of eligibility. He stayed in Pullman and finished his degree at WSU in 2000. So Lagat was a pro and ineligible for collegiate athletics in August of 1999, aside from it being "out of season"

American Rebel wrote:

Domanic is American baby! The future of American middle distance.

Does he still rock the epic 'stache?

lrcelitist wrote:

Stunned that the NCAA record time is so mediocre. Honestly would have expected it around 3:32 or lower.

Uhhh, NCAA races usually don't end up fast in the 1500 and up. If Kerr does a DL or WGP 1500 in Pre or Europe at some point

pretty sure he can get that down to 3:33 or 3:32. It's April and this 3:35 is 3rd in the world, almost tying him with the top two Kenyans. Not sure if it would count in the NCAA record book were he to get a 3:32 running in the summer however.